A hard-fought battle, in which all Britons took part, was waged to keep the lights on and the home fires burning – but did it prove victorious?
Not all the important battles of World War Two were fought above ground by soldiers on a battlefield. At home, civilian men also struggled in grim and dangerous conditions underground. On average, around 900 a year died in accidents.
Their mission, the reason for their sacrifice, was to feed the war effort and ensure Britain’s victory.
We now understand that carbon emissions from fossil fuels have a detrimental effect on our planet. Although a seemingly modern discussion, the associated effects on our climate were, in fact, mooted in the 19th century. Moreover, in 1938, Canada-born English engineer Guy Callendar first linked carbon dioxide to rising global temperatures.
Guy’s research met scepticism – and even he considered the warming effect to be beneficial. Environmental concerns were then given little consideration and, forward a year, there was a more pressing problem: that of war. The number one priority was to win that global conflict and, as coal was Britain’s primary source of power, it was an essential warwinning commodity.
Britain’s life-blood
In…
